


Stories of the Second Self: Rise to the Wake

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [62]
Category: Urban Fantasy - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:28:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22548544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: Suddenly struct with shortness of breath, Jolene passes out on what would be her last day as human. Coming to three days later, Jolene realizes that she awoke hours before the wake of her own funeral. Traumatized by her newfound undeath, Jolene also scares everyone who had gathered to pay their last respects. During the daytime service Jolene has to learn fast that she became a vampire and what that means for raising her son who is still human.
Series: Alter Idem [62]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: Rise to the Wake

It was sometime after sundown was all she could recall. Suddenly short of breath, and her vision fading rapidly, Jolene collapsed while reaching for her phone to call 911. The last thing she remembered was Terry, her son.

When next Jolene awoke it was in total darkness. Her first act of reaching out was met with a softly padded concave surface over her. That's when she realized she was in a casket, and she freaked out. Four hours, Jolene pounded on the inside of the coffin, until it occurred to her she wasn't running out of breath.

Jolene only breathed in to call out, and at no other time. Also, her hands weren't warm with body heat. In the near dark Jolene touched all over herself, worried that she was dead, rotting, and already buried. Except, her body was more than intact, it was firmer than before. Her blows against the casket lid were hard, just that the padding prevented her from denting it from the inside.

Losing track of time, Jolene wasn't sure how long from when she awoke to when she first heard a voice. "Really sad, that one. They think it was some sort of sleep apnea, and yet we have to conduct a closed casket service for her."

"What the hell?" Jolene muttered, and then shouted out, "I'm still alive! Open this up!"

But the door had closed before she yelled. More hours passed until she felt the coffin being lifted and rolled. From the time it came to a rest to when she heard many people was a few more hours.

People settled down, while Jolene again pressed hands up against the lid, all the while hearing someone give a eulogy, "We are gathered here today to remember Jolene Annabel Walker."

Jolene couldn't get her knees up against the lid, but her arms were nearly straight when she planted her palms against the funerary padding. The leverage and her newfound strength produced a metallic creaking from the locks, until something snapped with a ping.

Flinging the lid open, Jolene said up and invoked screams from women and men alike.

"Oh my god!" Cried the person whose back was formally to the coffin whirled around with fright.

Jolene didn't attend any church, so she figured he was the director of the mortuary.

"Why did everybody think I was dead?" Jolene protested.

"Be-because you are," came Brett, who stood behind Terry.

The entire room was blinding bright, and for some reason, people added to the intense glare. In fact, Jolene was the only person in the room who didn't give off a strange light of color she couldn't described.

Yet, her fury over Brett suddenly acting like a father to Terry drove her toward him. "Okay, you can back off from Terry now."

Though, before Jolene could grab Brett by the front to pull him away from her son, a searing sizzle started on her hand. She quickly pulled it back, and then registered the direct sunlight coming through one of the windows of the room the wake was being conducted in.

She shook off the pain, before Jolene studied her hand. Deathly gray and bloodless, the skin still had a pristine look other than the back of it where she was burnt. Jolene was in her favorite dress, which caused her to look around until spotting her mother, the only person who knew what she'd want to be buried in.

Though, now Jolene's mother was backing away and shaking her head with tears streaming down a fearful expression.

"What?" Jolene asked anyone in the room.

Only Terry, who's face was wet from before, now looked overjoyed as he alone pointed out, "Mommy's got shark teeth."

Then Terry bolted and slammed into her throwing his arms around her. Jolene forgot everything else, as she dropped to a knee to hug him tightly, right up until he gasped for breath.

Jolene loosened up, "I'm sorry, baby."

"It's alright mommy!" Terry cried with joy and hugged around her neck.

"Ah, Terry," Jolene's father coughed subtly, "C'mon, it's not safe."

That got Jolene's attention, "What's not safe? What's going on?"

Jolene's mother dared approach just close enough to pass over a compact out as far as her arm could stretch. Jolene's brow furrowed at her mother, while she opened it and held it up to look at herself.

She had a reflection, but Jolene realized just how changed she was. Her eyes were obsidian. Even the whites of her eyes glistened a solid black. Pulling back her lips exposed the sharp teeth Terry mentioned. Between her appearance and being burned, Jolene started to wonder.

Though, it was Brett, her ex-husband who said it. "You're a vampire, babe!"

"Don't fuckin' call me babe," Jolene snapped, getting a jump from several people in the room, and continued, "You lost that right even before the divorce," and then looked around at everyone else gathered to pay her their last respects, "Seriously, what happened to me?"

"You had some kind of arrest," Jolene's mother said, "Only the doctors didn't know what caused it. You died hours before anyone found you. Your dad and I took Terry and started planning your funeral."

They weren't saying it... possibly because they didn't believe it any more than Jolene did. However, she extended her hand into the morning rays of sunlight, only to feel the singing again.

No heartbeat, Jolene realized as she felt her chest. No breathing and she looked like death not even warmed over. It had to be true, especially as frightened as everyone was by the mere sight of her.

Jolene's face contorted with grief, not for herself, but it hit her than she might lose custody of Terry. She dropped to the floor sobbing, but she felt no tears down her face. That's when her mother overcame her caution and knelt down beside her.

"It's okay, I got'cha Jolene," her mother assured, "We'll help you get through this. Okay?"

For several minutes, Jolene was reduced to being a little girl herself, and clung to her mother with dread of what lay ahead.


End file.
